Slaying the Guardian of Prohibition, the World's Upper Limit is Raised

They were located inside a cave at the border between the mundane world and the ancient martial world—a place that also served as the forbidden barrier connecting the two realms.

The figure in the scene stood unmistakably...

"This is..."

Old Demon Bai's expression darkened as he slightly raised his head, his voice hoarse with disbelief. "Above... us?!"

As soon as his words fell—

BOOM!!

The stone walls of the cave around the five of them began to shatter. Their expressions shifted as they swiftly flew out into the open.

The night illuminated the earth, while dark clouds veiled the sky.

Tonight seemed darker than ever before.

The five hovered mid-air, their faces tense as they fixed their gazes on a figure who had long been waiting for them.

Gu Yan held Phantom Annihilation in his hand, his eyes calm as he observed the five who had just ascended from below.

Each of these five possessed cultivation levels infinitely close to that of a Grandmaster. Having lived through his first life's memories, Gu Yan could even detect a trace of divine power emanating from them.

Hmph. Dogs of the gods, then.

Old Demon Bai glared at the Night King with a gloomy expression. Unlike in previous lifetimes...

This Night King was strong!

Exchanging glances with his companions, he finally turned his attention back to Gu Yan and spoke slowly, "Night King, you continue to surprise me."

"To think you would come looking for us on your own."

"And that weapon in your hand..."

Old Demon Bai and the others all focused on Phantom Annihilation in Gu Yan's grip.

They sneered in unison. "What? Not using that dagger of yours anymore?"

"Did you... finally learn your lesson?"

As they spoke—

A brilliant golden light erupted from their bodies—the unmistakable sign of divine power enveloping them!

It was precisely this divine energy that allowed them to neutralize the Power of Night!

Their cultivation surged even higher under the influence of the divine power, and they grinned savagely at the figure before them.

Having confirmed that this was indeed the Night King, the five experts' eyes gleamed with greed and excitement.

Contrary to the outside world's understanding of the Night King...

They had long been chosen by the gods, existing solely to hunt down and eliminate the Night King in every lifetime.

Moreover, slaying the Night King would grant them the legendary gift of eternal life from the gods.

To them, this lifetime's Night King was no exception—he would perish here by their hands.

However...

Just as they finished mocking him, eager to see his reaction—

Gu Yan swept his cold gaze over them and uttered indifferently, "Is that all... for your last words?"

The five: "!!!"

The air froze, as if time itself had paused for a split second.

BOOM!!

In the next moment, the five unleashed their overwhelming auras simultaneously, their violent power surging like tidal waves through the space around them.

Their eyes brimmed with killing intent, their faces twisted in fury as they roared and charged at Gu Yan.

"NIGHT KING!! YOU DARE?!!"

How many years had it been?!

No one had ever dared speak to them like this!

They were the chosen divine envoys! A mere Night King like you is nothing but fodder for our ascension to eternity!

BOOM!

The earth trembled violently under their assault, the air tearing apart with deafening sonic booms.

Each of the five unleashed their ultimate techniques—blades gleaming, swords flashing, gales howling—all their power converging in an overwhelming deluge meant to obliterate Gu Yan.

Golden light blazed as divine energy surged forth, forming an array that spread across the battlefield.

Divine Array—Activated!!!

Within this formation, the Power of Night would be rendered utterly useless!

Yet, faced with all this, Gu Yan remained where he stood, his expression unchanging.

His eyes were calm and profound, as though everything was unfolding exactly as he had foreseen.

Just as the five's attacks were about to reach him—

SWISH!

Gu Yan's figure vanished from sight, as though he had never existed.

"What?!"

The five jolted in shock, halting their assault and frantically scanning their surroundings for any trace of him.

Impossible! Was that spatial teleportation?!

And without leaving the slightest trace of energy behind?

But how could the Night King still wield the Power of Night?!

"Looking for me?"

A voice colder than death echoed from behind them. Gu Yan reappeared as though stepping out of the void itself.

Before they could react—

CRACK!! SPLAT!!

Gu Yan moved like lightning, appearing before one of the experts in an instant. His palm, infused with the annihilating force of the forbidden lands, struck out.

The man had no time to defend—only a searing pain in his chest before he was sent flying, his body exploding into a mist of blood upon impact with the ground.

"WHAT?!"

"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!"

"Old Demon Bai, something's wrong! Since when was the Night King this strong?!"

The remaining four paled at the sight.

They retreated at blinding speed, desperate to put distance between themselves and Gu Yan—but it was futile.

"Trying to run?"

A voice like thunder pierced their eardrums.

To their horror, despite having fled several miles away, they felt an irresistible force yank them back—

Right in front of Gu Yan once more.

Then—

BAM! BAM! BAM!!

Black hands tore through the void, surging toward the remaining four like a tide of death.

"Guh—!"

"ARGH!"

"WHY?!"

Blooms of crimson mist burst in the air like macabre flowers.

The four severed their own limbs in a desperate bid to escape.

How...?

We possess divine power—the natural counter to the Night King! How are we being toyed with like this?!

They attacked again, dazzling lights and devastating forces intertwining as they rained down upon Gu Yan.

Yet he weaved through their assaults like a specter, his figure flickering between them. With every motion, another life was extinguished.

SPLAT! SPLAT!!

Screams and the stench of blood saturated the battlefield.

In mere moments, three of the four had fallen, leaving only Old Demon Bai—knocked to the ground, his face a mask of terror as he stared up at Gu Yan.

"You... you're not the Night King..."

His voice trembled, eyes brimming with despair.

No.

This can't be.

How is the Night King of this lifetime so powerful?

His power should have been sealed by the divine might of the gods!

Yet—

Gu Yan offered no reply. He merely raised his palm toward Old Demon Bai, fingers curling slightly.

SPLAT!!

In an instant, Old Demon Bai's consciousness snapped back.

He blinked in confusion at his surroundings.

Why... was he still mid-air?

Then he looked down—

At the black longsword impaled through his chest.

Realization struck him.

That earlier... was an illusion...

But... the Night King of the past... never used illusions...

THUD!!

The five corpses collapsed to the ground.

Gu Yan remained hovering in the air, unmoving.

Because... he was waiting for someone.

One second... two seconds... three...

CRACKLE!!

Then, something grotesque happened.

The five corpses twisted into grotesque, unnatural shapes.

Their heads detached from their bodies, floating into the air.

Even their eyes had turned golden.

They stared fixedly at Gu Yan, their lips curling into cruel grins.

"Mortal... you are not the Night King..."

"If you abandon the true Night King, you may yet escape the suffering and torment that awaits you."

"But if you persist..."

SPLAT!!

Before the words could fully leave his mouth,

a dagger pierced straight through the forehead of the speaking head.

Gu Yan said coldly, "Next... it'll be your turn."

"......"

"Heh heh heh... HAHAHAHA!!"

"Mortal, you've lost your chance to live!"

"We, the servants of the Heavenly Dao, will make you understand!"

"What it means when fate cannot be defied!!"

It seemed Gu Yan's words had enraged them—the five heads instantly twisted into grotesque expressions.

Then—

Hum!

A sinister tome flew out, summoned by Gu Yan.

"Kekeke!! This old man has finally regained his memories!! I'm gonna devour every last one of you!!"

The tome pounced on the heads, devouring them in an instant.

"Boring, boring. Just a sliver of divine power—not even enough to fill my teeth."

The tome flew back to Gu Yan's side.

The latter gripped the dagger, which had now absorbed a trace of divine power.

And after assimilating the strength of five peak late-stage Grandmasters,

Gu Yan used that divine power to break through to this world's highest limit—

The Great Grandmaster realm!!

"Is this world's peak really just this low?"

Gu Yan clenched his fist. This... wasn't enough.

The gods were at least Divine-grade or higher.

"I wish to ascend to a level where I can kill the Heavenly Dao."

"?"

The sinister tome twitched at the corner of its "mouth," then shouted, "This world's limit is only Great Grandmaster! If you want to reach that high, besides paying the price, you’d first need to remove the world’s level cap!!"

So it really wasn’t possible. It seemed shortcuts weren’t an option. Gu Yan wasn’t disappointed.

Then, to break through the shackles and remove the restrictions...

He had to—

Gu Yan’s gaze turned toward a central point at the boundary. He spoke slowly to the tome:

"If I dismantle the barrier separating the Ancient Martial World and the Mundane World, can that raise this world’s cultivation level cap?"

Hearing this,

the tome scoffed. "What can a fragmented world like this even do?"

"If you want to raise the cap... Gu Yan... make a wish."

"Use the power of the Heavenly Dao... to oppose the Heavenly Dao!"

"And the price... will be your... Pure Love Energy!!"

Gu Yan nodded. First, he shattered the barrier, merging the Ancient Martial World and the Mundane World.

Then, he looked at the tome and said calmly,

"Raise this world’s cultivation limit... to a level where it can oppose the Heavenly Dao."

As if predestined,

Gu Yan had never used his accumulated Pure Love Value—until now.

Finally... it had a purpose.

The tome soared into the sky, erupting with dark light. It grinned widely.

"Your wish... has been granted!"

Hum!

[Pure Love Value deducted: 23,210,000. Remaining: 520.]

"What’s the meaning of 520?"

"It’s my message to Little Ai Ai."

[Little Xie Xie ⁄(⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)⁄"]

Gu Yan: "......"

At that moment,

a cold, graceful figure tore through the void, appearing beside Gu Yan.

He didn’t need to guess who it was. "Xiao Leng."

Xiao Leng stood to Gu Yan’s left, gazing up at the sky.

"The world’s cultivation limit has been lifted. But because this world is just a fragment, the gods can only gradually infuse their divine power into it."

"And even then... the power of the gods is unimaginable. After all... they are all servants of the Heavenly Dao."

"Gu Yan... have you truly considered this? Even one-on-one, what are your chances?"

"Even if you defeat the Heavenly Dao’s servants... can you really... defeat the Heavenly Dao itself?"

Xiao Leng looked at Gu Yan. The corners of his lips curled slightly as he, too, looked up at the sky.

He raised his hand, clenched it into a fist, and murmured,

"I’ll win."

"Believe in me."

Xiao Leng fell silent.

Her expression was complicated. She clenched her fist, then immediately relaxed it.

Finally, she only said coldly, "You’d better keep your word."

With that—

Whoosh!

Her figure vanished.

Gu Yan remained where he was, slowly lowering his hand.

His faint smile faded, his gaze turning profound.

Now, he had to begin his next plan—

to rapidly increase his cultivation!

The current situation was a race against time. He didn’t have a single second to rest!

The Abyssal Annihilation Technique... he would... spread it far and wide! Let the entire world cultivate it together!

Only then... could he grow stronger fast enough!